Effect of circuit exercise training on physical fitness of alcoholic patients

A group of patients with chronic alcoholism who participated in a circuit training exercise program were compared on a stair climbing task to a group of patients who did not participate in the program. After three weeks, the patients in the exercise group had gained significantly in the number of stairs which they could climb when compared to the patients in the nonexercise group. The time required to return to the heart rate before stair climbing was significantly shorter for exercising patients than for nonexercising patients. The circuit training exercise program, therefore, appears to be an effective method for improving the fitness level of alcoholic patients.